FINAL BILL REPORT
ESB 6037
C 56 L 94
SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED
Brief Description: Increasing the reward for information regarding certain violations.
SPONSORS: Senators Owen and Oke
SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS
BACKGROUND:
The Department of Natural Resources is currently authorized to offer up to $1,000 for information regarding violations of any statute or rule relating to the state's public lands or natural resources. Fines for violations of the Forest Practices Act are presently in law.
The number of public use abuse incidents on state land is increasing. Raising the reward limit from $1,000 to $10,000 is viewed as an incentive for the public to report incidents which could be a deterrent to preventing theft and abuse.
In 1989, an inventory identified 1,683 dumpsites on state land and a 1992 inventory of high-priority sites for clean up identified 113 sites with an estimated clean-up cost of $207,000. Illegal dumping continues to increase on state lands and at the present time, as many as 2,355 illegal dumps exist on state lands with a potential cost of $855,000. Substantial damage to standing timber is affecting the income from the state's trust lands.
SUMMARY:
The Department of Natural Resources is authorized to offer and pay a reward up to $10,000 for information regarding violations of any statute or rule relating to the state's public lands and the state's natural resources. The rules, regulations and statute authorizing forest practices in Title 76.09 are excluded from the reward system.
The department is authorized to adopt rules to establish criteria for paying for the award and for the amount of such awards.
The department is authorized to determine the appropriate account or fund from which to pay the reward. No appropriations are required to make the reward.
VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:
Senate 46 0
House 93 0 (House amended)
Senate 46 0 (Senate concurred)
EFFECTIVE:June 9, 1994